Learning Curve
by Keara
Summary: Eleven-year-old Noctis asks a question that Ignis isn't sure how to answer. Warning: This is an Omega-Verse story and the series (if there is one) will contain MPREG. If you don't like it, please don't read.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimers: I do not own Final Fantasy XV or any of its characters. This is purely for entertainment purposes only. I am making no profit from this._

 _Notes: This is my first Final Fantasy XV story and it is in Omega-Verse one. I love Omega-Verse fics. Hopefully, this is the first part in a long series, but for now, I only have the one. A tiny slice of life. Enjoy._

 _In this, Ignis is thirteen and Noctis eleven.  
_

* * *

 _ **Learning Curve**_

* * *

"Hey, Ignis?"

Ignis hummed inquiringly, if not a bit distractedly. He set aside his pencil and dragged his attention from the homework he'd been diligently finishing. The extra assignment that one of his tutors had given to him was proving to be a challenge. Difficult, yet interesting. Using actuarial science to assess the risks and rewards inherent in elemancy was no simple task. Elemancy was not easy to predict since, or course, the ability to harness energy and craft magic varied from person to person only in those descended from the royal line of Lucis. There had even been a number of kings and queens who had never truly mastered the ability. It was fascinating.

His young charge, Prince Noctis was sat on the floor in front of the TV, his fingers idly toying with the game controller he held, although he didn't seem to be playing anymore. The game itself blared loudly on the screen.

"Is there something you require?" Ignis asked. He didn't like the way that Noctis wouldn't look at him, but he knew better than to push him. If Noctis was hesitant to discuss something, he would be less likely to speak if the issue were pressed. Ignis sat patiently and waited. Casually, trying to maintain an air of nonchalance, he picked up his glass of orange juice and took a sip. Unfortunately, this was when Noctis posed his question.

"What's knotting like?"

Ignis choked and spluttered. He clapped a hand across his mouth, barely managing to keep from spraying juice across the sheets he'd worked so hard on. However, his shirt wasn't so fortunate. He'd unintentionally tipped the contents of his glass onto himself in his surprise. Swallowing uneasily, Ignis managed to get himself under control and breathing relatively normally again. He looked at Noctis and then down at himself, at the splotch of sticky juice tainting the pristine white of his shirt. He wanted to take care of the spot immediately, before it had a chance to discolor the fabric, but he knew that Noctis was more important.

He cleared his throat and tried to find the right words to say, but nothing seemed to be appropriate. He wasn't even entirely sure what Noctis wanted to know. "What are you asking me?" he inquired, keeping his tone gentle.

Noctis was fiddling with the controller again. He stared down at it in his hands, his bottom lip pulled into his mouth. There was a faint blush dusting his cheeks, probably matching the one spreading across Ignis's own face. The Prince's gaze shifted away from his controller, then quickly back, his blush growing brighter. Ignis followed the fleeting glance with his own eyes and found a pile of Noctis's schoolbooks.

"N-never mind," Noctis stammered when Ignis stood and strode over to the books. "It was a stupid question."

Ignis sorted through the books and quickly found what he was looking for. "Your Changing Body, Alpha Edition," Ignis read aloud. "I see." Noctis must have begun his sexual education courses. It made sense, Noctis was eleven now. His body would begin maturing soon. He was at the right general age for puberty to begin. It was only a matter of time now before he experienced his first Rut.

Flipping through the pages, Ignis found it to be a rudimentary text, focused almost entirely on Alpha biology and sexuality. There was very little information on Beta physiology, except in comparison to Alphas, and even less information on Omegas. There were more pages dedicated to female biology than there were for Omegas. A truly lax educational aide. It was more than likely that the school had segregated the students into four groups according to their birth genders and taught each group only about their own biology. Honestly, it was such an archaic method of teaching. It led to a great deal of misunderstanding and misinformation. Ignis's own education had been different, of course, perhaps worse though. There had been no classes for him, no other students. There had only been a single tutor with a thin book, a Beta who had almost literally told him that he would know what to do when he went into Heat and referred to the biased text he had brought with him whenever Ignis had asked a question; questions which were rarely resolved by the information in that book. Being told to lay down and take whatever your Alpha gives you, was not satisfactory to Ignis in any way. Ignis decided that he would be a better teacher than his own and would answer any question the Prince had if he was able to answer it.

"What did you want to know?" Ignis inquired. He set down the book and moved over to the sofa to sit.

Noctis was silent for a long while. But Ignis was patient. "Knotting," Noctis blurted out. "I wanted to know what it felt like. You know, to an Omega."

Ignis nervously pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with a shaking hand. "Is this because you are-" he broke away, uncertain of how to broach the subject. Had Noctis's body begun developing? Had he; as was said in the crude vernacular; popped his first knot? Was his first Rut so near? If it was, Ignis would need to leave and inform the King. It wouldn't be safe for him to remain in such close proximity. Rutting Alphas only saw Omegas as holes to fill, at least until they better learned to control their mating urges and possessive instincts. Ignis had no desire to be pushed down and mounted by someone fueled only by the most basest of instinctual desires. There would be no preparation, no care, no love; only a cruel violent domination. The thought left Ignis shuddering slightly.

While Ignis worried, the young Alpha's face filled bright crimson. "What?" Noctis squeaked. "No, I'm not. I haven't." He shook his head vigorously. "It's not like that." He cast aside his controller and turned fully toward Ignis. "It's...well, I thought, you're an Omega, so maybe you know."

The Advisor in training straightened his back. What did Noctis think of him? He was an Omega, that was true, but he was only thirteen. He'd never so much as kissed anyone yet, let alone had sex. Just because he was an Omega didn't mean he panted after every Alpha he met, begging for a proper breeding. What were they teaching at this school of his?

Before Ignis had a chance to object to Noctis's skewed vision of him, the Prince grimaced. "I'm not explaining well."

"I haven't even had my first Heat yet," Ignis admitted, in a hushed voice. "I've never had sex, so I can't say I know what it feels like."

"I didn't mean personal experience," Noctis said. "I meant, that since you're, you know, you, that you read everything and just know."

Ignis didn't let himself get offended by Noctis's warped view of his habits. Admittedly, he had read a number of books. He'd always had a streak of curiosity. His own limited education in Omega sexuality had spurred him on. So, in his sparse free time, he had read about Omegas, sticking to the Citadel's vast library in an effort to avoid accidentally happening across pornography. He wasn't quite brave enough to try acquiring illicit magazines and his uncle monitored his internet activities. He was only allowed to use the computer for schoolwork. Searching topics such as knotting or Heats would surely get him a stern talking to.

When he had gone through everything he could find out about Omegas, he had switched to Alphas, and then to Betas and even female biology and psychology. Now it seemed his diligence was well worth the effort.

He cleared his throat. "I have read that it is a filling sensation. A, ah, a comfort during an Omega's Heat, especially when the internal walls are cramping. The heat and pressure of it help to ease the discomfort. And of course, it is also pleasurable, or so I've read."

"Doesn't it hurt though? It would expand inside your body, stretch ... things. And you can't pull it out!"

Ignis hummed. "It can be painful to the inexperienced. I'm not eager to find out how much so. And the knot will deflate with time."

Noctis looked unconvinced. "And you can get pregnant." It was said more as a statement but Ignis decided to answer anyway.

"Yes. Omegas can become pregnant."

"But, you're male, right?"

Ignis frowned and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Honestly, didn't the schools teach anything? "As you should already be aware, there are four biological birth genders. Let's not discuss transgender or alternately gendered individuals as I think it may only complicate the issue." He cleared his throat. "Hormone levels and basic anatomy dictate the gender assigned at birth. Alpha and Beta males are the more masculine genders, while females are obviously on the feminine spectrum. Omegas, however, are more fluid. Alpha and Beta and Omega males all have penises and testicles. However, Omegas also have a vaginal orifice and uterus, as do females. In Omegas, this orifice can be found beneath the testicles, along the perineal raphe."

Noctis scrunched his nose in distaste. "I didn't need the graphic details," he muttered.

"You did ask, Highness."

The Prince didn't respond. He was staring at Ignis, but his eyes kept darting away, drifting down the length of his body and then snapping back up to his face. Each time he did it, the blush on his cheeks darkened. Ignis wondered what it was the Prince was thinking of. "W-Would it be possible-" Noctis began.

Ah, so that was it. Ignis felt his spine stiffen in indignation. "If you think I'm going to strip for you, Highness, then you should think again."

"What is going on in here?"

Ignis cringed at the sound of his Uncle's voice behind him. He hadn't heard the door open. In front of him, Noctis bent forward and pressed his forehead to the floor, his skinny arms folding over the back of his head as he let out a distressed groan.

Cheeks burning hotly, Ignis turned. His Uncle was standing beside the door, his hand still on the handle. Beside, and a little behind him, was Noctis's current caretaker, Miss Charlotte, her arms burdened by a tray containing the prince's dinner. Ignis wasn't fond of her, or of her antiquated ideas on an Omega's proper place in the world. Sex-hungry mongrels, he had heard her call someone once, referring to a slight young housekeeper who had only been tidying the room. The young man had said nothing to her, not even looked in her direction as he'd gone about his task, but Miss Charlotte had still muttered her insult beneath her breath, too soft for anyone but Ignis to hear. Although, he doubted she had intended he hear it. Ignis had kept his mouth shut about it. Who would believe him anyway? It would only be hearsay, his word against hers.

As she regarded him now, her thin lips curled into a cruel sneer. Ignis found he couldn't hold her gaze and looked away, bowing his chin to his chest. "Your dinner, Highness," Miss Charlotte announced, cheer in her voice.

"Gather your belongings, Ignis, we need to be going," Uncle called, his tone clipped. He was not happy. Ignis did not look forward to the lecture he was most likely in for.

"Yes, Uncle," he said, and hurried to do as told. He gathered his schoolwork. Before leaving, he bowed politely to Noctis. "I'll see you tomorrow, Highness," he said to the unresponsive lump on the floor that was the Prince. He must be mortified to have been overheard. Ignis bit his lip. Should he say something to ease his discomfort? What could he say? But the question was moot, as Uncle placed a hand at his back and urged him out the door.

Uncle was silent as they walked to their own quarters in the Citadel. The entire time, Ignis worried and fretted over every possible thing his Uncle could say to him. Was he in trouble? Was it improper to discuss sex with Noctis? Should he have referred Noctis to someone else? An adult perhaps?

His thoughts were derailed as he was ushered into their shared rooms. As soon as the door was closed behind them, Uncle slipped the schoolbag off Ignis's shoulder and set it aside. He knelt before his nephew, gently reaching up to cup his cheek with one large hand. His thumb traced lightly across the youth's cheekbone. "Ignis," he said, his tone grave. "Please tell me what was going on when I walked into Prince Noctis's rooms."

Ignis looked away, shyly. He didn't want to cause trouble. Nor did he want to get himself into trouble.

"Did the Prince...did he proposition you?"

His eyes went back to his Uncle, widening in alarm. "What? N-no, I-"

"If he was trying to force himself on you through coercion, you must not be afraid to tell me. He may be the Prince, but even he must obey the laws. Just because he is an Alpha and you are an Omega does not mean he can order you to do anything sexual with him or for him."

The blush that had faded from his cheeks, flared back into bright crimson life. "He didn't!" Ignis insisted. "I swear. His school began sexual education classes and he was curious about Omegas. The textbook they gave him is focused primarily on Alphas and offers little to no information on any other gender. I didn't think there would be anything wrong with giving him a few facts."

The hand that was on his cheek slid down to hold his shoulder. "When I opened the door you told him you wouldn't strip for him. That doesn't sound like offering facts."

"It wasn't like that," Ignis replied meekly. It did look rather bad, he could admit that. "I informed him about the physical differences between Omegas and Alpha and Beta males, and how Omegas had a few similar traits to females. He didn't voice a desire to see me naked, not exactly. But I thought he might and I made it clear that I wouldn't do so."

"All right. If you say nothing untoward happened, I believe you." Uncle flickered a smile at him. "However, I will have to inform the King of the incident."

"Uncle-"

At Ignis's alarm, Uncle smiled again. "It is only for your safety, Ignis, and the Prince's as well. I promise that he is not in trouble. However, you must see the danger. If Prince Noctis is approaching sexual maturity, he will have to be monitored by those around him more closely. It is only a matter of time before he enters his first Rut and when he does he will be a slave to his own baser urges." He moved his hand back to Ignis's face and brushed his cheek again. "I will not have him hurting you or any other Omega, no matter his state of mind."

"Yes, Uncle," Ignis replied. His uncle was right, of course. Despite knowing it was the right thing to do, Ignis knew that Noctis would not be happy about this. Informing the King meant an intrusion into Noctis's closely guarded privacy. It meant he would have to endure bi-monthly doctor visits to keep track of his hormone levels. When it was deemed necessary, he would be segregated and observed until after his Rut passed and then the process would repeat. More doctor visits. More close observations. And far less privacy. Until he learned to control his mating urges and was judged safe to be around others again. There was a chance he would be able to control himself right from the start, but it would be better to safe than sorry.

Noctis would hate this.

"Go change your shirt and we can have dinner," Uncle advised.

Ignis nodded and somberly went to his room. He hoped that Noctis would understand this was all for his own good.

* * *

 **End**


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimers: I do not own Final Fantasy XV or any of its characters. This is purely for entertainment purposes only. I am making no profit from this._

 _Notes: Ignis despises the distance between himself and Noctis and figures out a way to fix things._

* * *

 ** _Learning Curve_**

 ** _Part Two_**

* * *

Noctis hadn't spoken to him in over a week. Obviously, he was still mad about what had happened. It wasn't fair though, not at all. How was Ignis supposed to have known that his uncle would walk into the room just as Ignis blurted out something rather embarrassing? Noctis had looked like he'd been about to ask him to strip. It was only natural for Ignis to voice his refusal to do so. Questioning Ignis's gender and the anatomical differences of an Omega like Ignis to an Alpha like himself was one thing, but Ignis had no desire to expose those physical traits to his friend. It wasn't his fault that Uncle had come in just then. Nor was it his idea for Uncle to go to King Regis to discuss the incident. He hadn't wanted that at all. If it had been his choice, they could have ignored it completely and gone on with their lives as if it had never happened.

Instead, Noctis had received a lecture on inappropriate behavior and sexual harassment. There had also been a lengthy doctor's visit to ensure he wasn't experiencing the early symptoms of an impending first rut.

What Noctis didn't know was that Ignis had endured the same. A lecture, probably similar to the one Noctis had gotten, and then a visit to a doctor. The medical visit had been unpleasant, invasive and embarrassing. At the end of which, Ignis was given his first birth control prescription. Although he hadn't yet gone into his first heat, the doctor had recommended he begin taking them. Ignis hadn't been able to stop the blush spreading across his face. He had been informed that, although unlikely, it was possible for him to become pregnant before he had his first heat and precautions should be made. He was only thirteen. He wasn't even interested in anyone at the moment. He hadn't even had his first kiss yet, let alone anything more.

Ignis sat at the table, his homework lying open in front of him, but not focusing on that at all. No, he was staring at Noctis. The Prince was, once more, engrossed in a video game. Every attempt Ignis made to engage in conversation was summarily ignored and the television volume turned up a notch. The explosions on screen were aggressively loud now.

Exhaling a soft breath, he picked up his pencil and went back to his work. Usually, he found it easy to engross himself into the essays of Tribuo Suavis, one of the Advisers to Queen Crepera. Even though they were exquisitely detailed works, they still alluded very little to the mysterious Queen herself, offering little about her as a person. They were focused more on her accomplishments as a ruler, the laws that had been enacted, her good works among her people, her successes in battle and the lands she had acquired during her time. There was mention of the sad beginnings of her reign, the deaths of her father, the king, and of her brother to demons. But despite her aversion to the public eye, she had been a successful ruler and beloved by her people. There was a day of honor in her name, although that was common with many of the Kings of yore.

He had a paper due on Crepera's intended marriage to a Niflheim noble and the political ramifications on the fallout after she had called it off following the deaths of her father and brother. She had risen as Queen and eventually married someone from Accordo, a lesser nobleman with a title but little money. By all accounts, the marriage was less about love and more about an impending trade agreement that was lucrative to Lucis, opening trade routes and importing valuable resources that were otherwise unavailable at the time.

A fascinating read by all accounts. Yet, it couldn't hold his attention today. All Ignis wanted to do was make things right. He wanted to apologize, even though he didn't feel it was really his fault. And he wanted Noctis to forgive him and be his friend again. He didn't like this distance between them. It made Ignis feel queasy. It made his chest ache and his stomach twist. He didn't like it and he wanted the discomfort to go away, for things to be as they were before.

Ignis bit at his lower lip, thinking over the problem at hand. Noctis had wanted to know more about Omega anatomy. He wanted a visual representation of the genital structure, something he could compare to his own, perhaps. That meant Ignis would have to procure something that would most probably be considered indecorous. Illustrations, or maybe even photography. Something pornographic. Ignis found himself blushing at the mere thought of seeking out something of that nature.

He ducked his head down to hide his heated face, pretending to study his books. Instead, he flipped to a blank sheet of paper and began to scribble out an outline of sorts. He had an idea as to where to get what he needed.

Two days later, he enacted these plans. It seemed simple on paper. While waiting with the car to pick up Noctis one day a number of weeks ago, Ignis had heard a group of older students extolling the physical attributes of an Omega featured in what could only be described as a dirty magazine. They had thought themselves well hidden, behind a shrubbery near the gates of the school. However, Ignis had clearly been able to see the illustration from where he'd been standing. He'd turned his head away and tried to ignore them, but had overheard a conversation in which one of them shared where they'd acquired the periodical. Apparently, there was a certain store in the city with an owner who was known to turn a blind eye to underage customers. This had seemed of little importance to Ignis at the time. He hadn't any need to purchase liquor or cigarettes, or any interest in pornography. And as Prince Noctis wouldn't have any reason to go to that store, Ignis hadn't seen the need to tell anyone of the conversation he had heard. It didn't affect him, or Noctis, and so it wasn't important. He knew where it was and would be able to avoid it easily.

Ignis was fortunate, this particular morning, that he had a few hours free of classes. His tutor had informed him and Uncle that due to an appointment with his son's doctor, he would be delayed. Ignis's lessons had been rescheduled for the afternoon. However, it also came to be that his Uncle had an early morning meeting with the Council, followed by several other appointments that couldn't be rearranged, and so he wouldn't be in residence, leaving Ignis alone in their shared rooms for a period of four hours. That would be plenty of time for him to sneak out of the Citadel, take a bus to the store to purchase his illicit magazine, and then return home in time for his tutor to arrive for lessons. No one would ever know he was gone and he could present the magazine to Noctis tonight and make everything right again.

It seemed to go well at first. He was able to get out of the Citadel with little trouble. He took the bus, as planned, and found the correct street. While walking to the store, he did feel nervous, more so when a group of three loitering men catcalled him. He wasn't used to such behavior, or of being spoken to in such a manner. The things they said were bordering on obscene. Uncomfortable, he hunched his shoulders and tried to hurry his pace without resorting to running.

The store was a grubby little place. One of the front windows was covered by a plank of wood. A robbery? Maybe vandalism? Either way, it didn't really matter. Ignis entered, wincing at the cheerful chime of bells overhead as the door opened. His heart was pounding as he approached the rack of magazines, face fully red seeing the pornography blatantly displayed beside comic books and common hobby magazines. His eyes focused on a fishing periodical and he couldn't look away for a long few seconds, Noctis on the forefront of his thoughts.

"Buy something or get out," the man behind the counter growled.

The abrupt tone startled Ignis and he lashed out, grabbing up a number of magazines with lurid names and indecent picture emblazoned on the covers. He dropped them on the counter and held out a handful of crowns when the outlandish price was given to him. He was certain the price quoted was far above what was printed on the covers, but that didn't matter. It wasn't as if Ignis would haggle over the cost with this man. The plain paper bag he was given in return was swiftly shoved down deep into his schoolbag and he was out the door in a flash, eager to be back home as soon as possible.

Of course, this was when things would begin going badly. As he was passing the three obnoxious men to get back to the bus stop, one of them reached out a hand and yanked him aside. Laughing, more of them joining in and grabbing and pulling at him. His bag was tugged away from him and cast aside. The scent of unfamiliar Alphas was acrid to Ignis and he shied away. They stank of booze and cigarettes, of sweat and an underlying male musk. It was sickening.

"What's a pretty little thing like you doing here?" one of the men asked. They weren't old, per se, early in their twenties perhaps, or maybe even late teens. Either way, they were still bigger than him.

"Let me go," Ignis replied.

"Oh, pretty voice for a pretty face," came from behind him. One of them sniffed at him and Ignis jerked forward into the one in front of him. He stepped back again, immediately.

"Sounds foreign," said another.

A hand gripped his hair and pulled at it, forcing him to turn and look at one of the other men. Tall and dark-haired, like the rest of them. And like the others, he stank of pheromones. Arousal? Was that what it smelled like? It was disgusting. He scrunched his nose.

"You a foreign, boy?" this one asked, skating a rough finger down Ignis's cheek. He abruptly slapped him, hard across the face, when he didn't get an answer quickly enough. "You speak when you're spoken to. Don't you have manners?"

He did, of course he did. Impeccable manners. But not for him. Not for his friends. They didn't deserve it.

The man received a shove to the shoulder from one of his friends. "That shit don't matter none. All Omegas are the same. Slutty little whores just waiting to stuff their cunts with the first hard cock to come along." The man slid an open hand down Ignis's back, then palmed at his buttocks. "Ain't that what you want, baby?"

"I bet he'll scream on our knots," was said, followed by a round of amused laughter and agreeable grunts. "He's so little, he's probably tight as fuck."

The circle around him seemed to close in. More hands groped at him. "Get him on his knees. Have a go at his mouth."

Ignis cringed. He pushed at the one closest to him. Another slap, harder this time, nearly sent him crashing down. The tang of blood filled his mouth. He lifted his hand to his lips and found them wet. Bleeding, he was bleeding.

There was the clink of metal against metal and Ignis watched in horror as the man in front of him began tugging at his belt, caressing a light finger over the fresh bruise blooming on the slight teenager's face and drawing ever nearer to his lips.

No, no, this was not about to happen. In a panic, he cast his eyes about, looking for an escape, any escape. He thought as swiftly as he could. With time running out, he took the one chance he could.

There were only three of them. That was to his favor. He could do this. He had to do this.

Steeling his nerves, he allowed his lips to part. The man in front of him seemed to take that as an invitation. He slid his thumb along the bottom lip, sliding through blood and stinging the split in the skin. He had just grasped the zipper on his trousers when Ignis opened his mouth fully, leaned in, and bit down as hard as he could on the thick, meaty digit.

The man yelled in pain. He pulled his hand back and delivered a solid blow that sent Ignis to the ground near his bag. Despite the ringing in his ears, Ignis managed to fall properly, as his gymnastics coach had taught him. He turned his tumble into a roll which left him on his feet again. Staggering for only an instant, he grabbed the handle of his bag and took off running as if his very life depended on it. By the shouted curses and pounding footsteps behind him, it might.

Ignis didn't look back. He ran.

He ran until there was a stitch in his side and he felt he couldn't run any longer. He pushed through that and continued on.

He ran even when he couldn't hear the men behind him. Surely, they were still chasing him. If he stopped, they would catch him.

He ran until he found familiar streets and turned down an alley to clamber up a wooden fence and drop on the other side. He landed badly, crashing down onto a pile of old wooden crates and other rubbish. His ankle twisted, his knee seeming to go in the opposite direction. Pain lanced up his leg, but he didn't cry out, not even when the boxes under him collapsed and he landed harshly on his shoulder, his head finding the pavement moments later.

There was a brief darkening of the world. When it came back, he struggled up again, too frightened to simply lie there. If they were still chasing him, they would catch him. He was certain they would. He grabbed his bag again and got to his feet, hobbling his way out of the alley and into the street. Straight into someone's chest.

Ignis gasped, shoving back. They had caught him. He fought with everything he had, using his bag as a weapon, kicking and pushing, trying to get away again. Until the voice filtered through.

"Ignis!"

He blinked dazedly. His vision was fuzzy. He had lost his glasses somewhere, he wasn't sure when or where. Something warm and wet was dripping into his eye. His head hurt terribly.

Clarus Amicitia stared down at him. At the sight of the King's Shield, Ignis allowed himself to relax. He sagged. He would have collapsed completely if not for Lord Amicitia's hands on his arms. Even then, he whimpered as the man's grip on him tightened, and he tried to draw away from the pain.

"What are you doing out here?" Lord Amicitia shifted his hold, moving his hand to Ignis's back. "What's happened to you? You're hurt."

Ignis knew better than to tell the truth. He didn't want to sit through more lectures on indecency. However, he didn't want to tell an outright lie. He settled for something in between. "My tutor isn't coming until afternoon. I thought I could ... it's such a nice day," he faltered, unsure of how much to say. He blinked. His head hurt. He wanted to lie down somewhere dark and quiet. "I was walking and there were some older boys. Men. Alphas. They stopped me, grabbed me. I-" His bit his lip. It stung and he raised a trembling hand to touch the sore spot.

"Never mind for now," Lord Amicitia said. "Let's get you inside and looked at." With that, he bent a little and lifted Ignis into his arms with apparent ease. Ignis had no choice but to throw his arms around the man's neck. His bag banged against the Shield's back.

"Sorry," Ignis said in a soft tone. He didn't hear a response, if there was one.

He felt dizzy, so he put his forehead to the man's shoulder and closed his eyes. Despite the jostling as Lord Amicitia walked, he fell into a light doze, but refused to relinquish his hold on his school bag. When someone tried to take it from him what seemed like only moments later, he tightened his grip on the handle and voiced his displeasure with a disgruntled moan.

"It's okay, Ignis. I'll take care of it for you." He didn't recognize the voice, or even the face it belonged to. However, he did know a nurse's uniform when he saw one. And it was belatedly that he realized he was lying on a bed in a medical ward. It looked like the Infirmary in the Citadel.

He allowed the nurse to take his bag and watched as she put it in a small cabinet near the door. The nurse returned and helped him change into a flimsy gown that left him feeling cold. A doctor came, and more nurses. There were IVs and bandages and injections. He was taken away for x-rays and blood tests and by the time he was brought back to his room, he was utterly exhausted.

Before he noticed that anyone else was in the room, a hand took hold of his, "Ignis, what happened?" Uncle asked from where he was sitting beside the bed. "Why did you leave our rooms?"

"I wanted to take a walk," Ignis said, after a moment of thought. "Outside. I-I didn't plan to be gone long." That last part was true at least. He hadn't meant to be gone long. A quick trip to that blasted store and back, that was all it was meant to be. Being waylaid by a trio of brutish Alphas had not been on his agenda. He could still feel their hands on him, hear their taunts. He couldn't understand how any Omega would ever want to be treated like that. It was so demeaning and left him feeling dirty.

His eyes watered and he scrubbed clumsily at his face. "I'm sorry," he said, meekly.

His Uncle caught his hand. There were tears in his eyes, too, as he cupped Ignis's cheek. "It's okay, Ignis. I'm not mad," he said soothingly, fingers brushing lightly over the undamaged side of his face. "I'm just glad you're safe."

"Safe," Ignis repeated. The word seemed to resonate within him, and he found himself crying uncontrollably.

Uncle wrapped careful arms around him and held him close. When Ignis quieted, Uncle petted his hair. "When you're ready, there is someone here to ask you about what happened today."

Ignis nodded. Uncle went and retrieved the officer. What followed was a tedious questioning that left him feeling drained. He didn't remember closing his eyes, but when he opened them, both the officer and his Uncle were gone. To his surprise, Prince Noctis was sitting in the chair by his bed. He was kicking his feet back and forth, his eyes engrossed in whatever game he was playing on his phone.

"Highness?"

Noctis jerked his head up and a brilliant smile lit his face. He immediately put his phone aside and clamored up to stand on the chair so he could lean closer to his Adviser-in-training. "Iggy, are you okay?"

"Of course," Ignis responded. He looked around the room, but didn't see anyone. "Are you here alone? What time is it?"

Noctis nodded. "It's eleven," he grinned.

"Morning?"

"Nope," Noctis said, sounding proud. "In the evening." His pleased smile fell. "No one would tell me what was going on and I wanted to see you. I hid in the bathroom whenever I heard a nurse coming."

Strangely, this made Ignis feel a little better. That Noctis would go to these lengths to see him, meant he must still care. "I'm sorry I worried you," Ignis said.

"Never mind that. Are you okay?" His eyes raked Ignis up and down, from his bandaged head to his wrapped ankle and everything in between.

"A few bumps and bruises, nothing more." Perhaps not completely true. He had sprained both his knee and his ankle, but the Doctor had said they weren't serious and wouldn't impact his gymnastics training if he allowed himself time to properly rest and heal. Contusions to his body, a bump and a cut on his head from the fall over the fence and some scrapes here and there. He had been lucky to not be more severely injured.

"What were you doing outside the Citadel?"

"Well, I-" He felt embarrassed admitting it now. The whole idea of getting those magazines seemed rather stupid in hindsight. He pointed to the cabinet that the nurse had stowed his school bag in. "My bag."

Noctis dutifully retrieved the bag and set it on Ignis's lap. Ignis dug out the paper bag and shoved it at the Prince. "I went to get those for you."

His Highness opened the bag and pulled out the first magazine. A fully nude Omega lay face down on some mussed up sheets, his shoulders to the mattress but his hips and ass high in the air. His every asset was on full display. He had his hands on his rear and was spreading his cheeks apart, showing off both his asshole and obviously wet vaginal orifice.

The Prince's cheeks blazed crimson. The color quickly spread down his throat and up to his ears. He jammed the magazine back into the bag. "Ignis! What? Why?"

Ignis bit his lip, then regretted it at a flash of pain. "You wanted to know what an Omega looked like. I refused to oblige. I-" He looked away. "You stopped talking to me. I didn't mean to make you mad at me."

"What? No, I'm not mad," Noctis was quick to assure. "I was-I was embarrassed. I mean, my Dad was right. I never should have asked you to strip."

"You didn't."

"I was going to." Noctis ducked his head. "It was stupid. I didn't even think about how inappropriate it was. I'm sorry if you felt uncomfortable."

Ignis relaxed. He reached out a hand and touched Noctis's wrist. "It looks like we were both incredibly foolish."

Noctis grinned, shyly. "I guess we'll both have to learn from our mistakes."

Ignis smiled back. Then he yawned. He patted the back of the Prince's wrist. "It's late. You should go to bed."

With a nod, Noctis hopped down. He took Ignis's bag and stowed it in the cupboard again. Then he headed for the door.

"Highness?" Ignis called.

Noctis quickly turned.

"Don't forget your magazines."

The way the Prince's cheeks flushed, amused Ignis. He quickly grabbed the bag and shoved it up under his shirt and down the front of his pants. "I'm going to burn these," he muttered and hurried out of the room.

Ignis fell asleep with a smile on his face, happy that things had returned to normal. Well, almost normal, at least.

* * *

 **The End**


End file.
